Earn Money in Your Free Time

Discover your side hustle with our step-by-step plan.

- Kathleen Murray Harris

Here’s a secret: You don’t have to quit your day job to bring in extra cash. Whether you already have an idea brewing, want to sample a new career before taking the leap, or aren’t working and want to get back into the game, starting a side hustle is easier than you think. Plus, it brings the benefits of added job security and personal satisfaction.“Just start where you are and take action,” says Chris Guillebeau, author of Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days. Here’s how.

1  COME UP WITH A FEW IDEAS

Think about skills or assets you already have. An unused basement could be turned into a Pilates studio; a veteran teacher can sell lesson plans. If you know a lot about fish tanks, you could write a product review blog and earn affiliate revenue (basically, the small percentage of sales you get when people buy via your link). Or look around and see what piques your interest. “Curiosity is an underappreciated business skill,” says Guillebeau. When Marc Gaskins noticed candles being sold for $85 in an upscale men’s store, inspiration (and motivation) struck. Gaskins, who owns a restaurant equipment rental company in Charleston, South Carolina, began researching the candle-making business by watching DIY YouTube videos and talking with candle suppliers. His candle company, Meeting and Market, launched soon after.

2 DECIDE ON THE BEST CONCEPT